Pianist Philip Fortenberry to Return to The Smith Center, 10/7

Due to popular demand, virtuoso pianist Philip Fortenberry will perform "The Man at the Piano," concert at The Smith Center's 250-seat Cabaret Jazz showroom on Monday evening, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m.

Tickets, priced at $35 and $25, are scheduled to go on sale Thursday, Aug. 15, 10 a.m. at The Smith Center Box Office, by phone 702-749-2000, or online at www.thesmithcenter.com.

Fortenberry has sold out two concerts since he debuted his new show in June to showcase his signature playing style in an acoustic 75-minute cabaret-style concert with the music surrounding his life story beginning as a child pianist at the young age of four in rural Mississippi to becoming a sought-after Broadway pianist, a concert artist at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, The White House, and on to giving command performances for royals and dignitaries including President Bush, Mikhail Gorbachev and the late Margaret Thatcher.

During the intimate concert, he shares personal insights into the music and the special meaning it has for him by performing solo offerings of popular classical and Broadway show music he loves, including "Memory" from "Cats," "Getting' Ready Rag" from "Ragtime," "Malaguena," and Liberace's famous arrangements of "Nola" and "Chopsticks," all presented with his own brand of southern charm.

Fortenberry's sought-after professional endeavors brought him to Las Vegas in 2004 for a Broadway-Vegas show, and he's currently in the cast of "Jersey Boys" at Paris as associate conductor. In 2009, his one-man show as an artist in residence at the famed Liberace Museum with more than 300 performances of "Liberace and Me" brought him more critical acclaim, along with eight solo CD releases and ongoing performances concerts around the U.S.

For more information about Fortenberry's prestigious career or to purchase his solo CDs, visit his website, www.philipfortenberry.com.

Photo by: Brandy Rose